Office 365 and RDS round 3, Allowed !!!

Office 365 subscription users have won the battle, earlier than I expected, to have rights for Remote Desktop Services (RDS) or previously named Terminal Services.

Thanks to the new changes just published by Microsoft, Office 365 can now we deployed as well on RDS scenarios.

The text on the Product Use rights says the following:

“Each user may also use one of the five activations on a network server with the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) role enabled.” (PUR English Page 82, January 2013)

What does this mean? It means that Office can be installed with the MSI-based installation (MAK, KMS and Ad-based activation) required for RDS. Office can also be installed on Click-to-Run installation, with the built-in App-V foundation.

This allows clients to move to Office 365 licensing and benefit of all the features and serve thin clients, or any other RDS scenario.

Great news as it allows more flexibility.

One more reason to move to subscription what you used to buy on perpetual licensing…

I see… the change on the license right is so recent that the Key availability to enable KMS is not there yet. All i see in Technet or MS slides is the old info that Presentation Virtualization is not available, but now the right exists.
The O365 Office Pro Plus license has the non managed Office as a feature, going to enable it through RDS is against that first model, I imagine more info will come soon on access to VLKs
it seems we wil have to wait or deploy with VLK from existing VL agreements, having clear licensing ownership through Office 365 should satisfy a SAM audit. I will check as well with other contacts to see what I find an update here, thanks Patrick for bringing this issue on the delay of Keys
cheers
Josef

I spoke to Microsoft
the solutions is coming on the new Office 365 wave just ready to arrive. In the meant time if you have a Volume Licensing key you can use it.
If you don’t you can buy one or buy a license in VL that will give you access to VLKs.
Instead of calling support direct the O365 specialist in the area can direct you to the solution until MS support gets the memo
Hope this helps

The Microsoft Product List, on page 97, states that:
Enterprise and Enterprise Subscription customers with active Office Professional Plus Subscriptions (USLs) who have deployed Office Professional Plus 2010 under their Enterprise or Enterprise Subscription agreement may install Office Professional Plus 2010 software in place of Office Professional Plus Subscription software on their qualified desktops.
[….]
This is a one-time exception during the introduction of Office Professional Plus Subscription Online Services. Customer will need to comply with Online Services upgrade requirements in the next release. For more information on Online Services upgrade requirements, see the Microsoft Product Use Rights (PUR) at http://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com/userights/PUR.aspx

In an attempt to continue clarification on this, I have a client with an individual retail Office license for each of their current workstations. They are about to move to a cloud-based TS/RDS environment for their accounting package which requires Office for Excel exports etc. I am aware the retail licenses will become defunct as far as the RDS environment is concerned but am I able to purchase one Office 365 subscription per workstation for use on the RDS or must I still purchase an Open License? The cost difference being a factor of AUD$400 per license makes this something I want to be crystal on.
If Office 365 can license me in RDS, do I buy one subscription per ‘user’ or can each subscription cover 5 users?

Gavin
i am familiar with your situation as my research was based on a Dynamics GP scenario that needed Excel.
O365 is a per user license nor a device, count users not devices in this case.
O365 E3 plan allows you to deploy Office in up to 5 devices per user, the RDS installation of office will be consider one of the devices option.
Hope this helps
cheers
Josef

Ok, so one part clarified – office 365 CAN be see in TS/RDS.
Second part that I still need clarified following your reply – you say “count users” – if then I have 50 users, do I need 50 subscriptions or can I go with 10 subscriptions as each subscriptions covers 5 devices.

Sorry if I’m doubling up with the question there but today I am grateful for finding your website. You call yourself the License Guru – I could equally call myself the License Nitwit.

LOL Gavin (No Nitwit, I am one of the few people on earth that loves this stuff, a rare specimen)
you are lucky is not too late in the pacific coast and I love what i do, I often offer services for licensing worldwide so timing is crazy (if you would like to know more let me know @mslicensing or email me )
To reply to your question, 50 users will require 50 O365 subscriptions.
Your question comes from the confusion between Device or User CALs, however for Office: even if you purchased Office on volume licensing for RDS the licensing will still require you each user to have a license for it